Match Information
Match Overview
AS Roma host Slovan Bratislava at the Stadio Olimpico on October 20 in League Stage Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League. Both sides are still early in the league phase, and the standings reflect that: Roma sit 25th and Slovan Bratislava 36th, so each match carries weight in the race for a place in the next phase.
The main factor is how each side arrives after a defeat on October 14. Roma lost 3-4 at home to Real Madrid in League Stage - 2. They scored three, but conceding four continued a pattern of leaky results. Before that, their domestic run was a 0-0 draw at Como on October 11, a 2-2 home draw with Inter on September 19 and a 2-0 win at Torino on September 14. Their opening European fixture, on September 10, was a 1-1 draw at Fenerbahçe. Gian Piero Gasperini's side has taken one point from the first two league-stage matches.
Slovan Bratislava, managed by Yaya Touré, lost 0-3 at home to VfB Stuttgart on October 14. Their domestic form is more varied. They drew 1-1 at Skalica on October 10, won 2-1 at Komárno on September 19, won 3-1 at Nitra in the Cup on September 16 and drew 3-3 with Žilina on September 13. They have scored in every one of those matches, but they have also conceded in every one of them, which makes for an open profile.
Both clubs reported no unavailable players, so each manager has a full squad to choose from. Roma have 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders and 4 attackers listed in their squad, while Slovan have 3 goalkeepers, 8 defenders, 8 midfielders and 5 attackers. With no head-to-head history to draw on, this is a first competitive meeting in the data, and form and home venue are the main reference points.
Both teams need a result to build momentum from the league stage's early rounds.
Predicted Lineups
AS Roma
Gollini; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Wesley, de Roon, Koné, Molina; Soulé, Dybala; Malen
Slovan Bratislava
Takáč; Blackman, Bajrič, Marković, Sandro Cruz; Pokorný, Mustafić; Barseghyan, Cristian Jesús Martínez, Suleiman Camara; Šporar
Team Form Analysis
AS Roma
League Position: 25AS Roma Form Analysis
Roma's last five matches across all competitions produced one win, three draws and one loss. The trend over the period is a slight slide: a 2-0 win at Torino on September 14 was followed by draws against Inter and Como, and then the October 14 defeat to Real Madrid.
Attacking output has been decent. Roma scored 8 goals across the five matches, including 3 against Real Madrid and 2 each against Inter and Torino. The blank at Como on October 11 was the only match without a goal.
Defensively the picture is mixed. Roma conceded 8 goals in the five matches, and they kept clean sheets at Torino and Como. The four goals they conceded against Real Madrid were the most in the sample, and Inter also scored twice at the Olimpico.
The opposition was strong. Real Madrid, Inter and Fenerbahçe are demanding opponents, and Roma avoided defeat in four of the five matches. Their two Champions League matches so far have brought one draw and one loss, a total of one point.
Slovan Bratislava
League Position: 36Slovan Bratislava Form Analysis
Slovan Bratislava's last five matches brought two wins, two draws and one loss. The one defeat was the most recent match, a 0-3 home loss to VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League on October 14, which interrupted a four-match unbeaten run in domestic competitions.
In Super Liga, Slovan drew 1-1 at Skalica on October 10, won 2-1 at Komárno on September 19 and drew 3-3 with Žilina at home on September 13. In the Cup, they won 3-1 at Nitra in the Round of 64 on September 16.
The attack has been productive in domestic play, with 9 goals in those four matches. The Stuttgart match was the exception, a game in which they failed to score.
Defensively, they conceded in every match in the sample, 8 goals in total. That includes three to Stuttgart and three in the draw with Žilina.
The level of opposition has changed sharply. Slovan have faced domestic opponents in four of the five matches and a Champions League side in the other. Roma will be a significant step up from the opposition in most of the sample.
Head-to-Head
Memorable Matches
There is no head-to-head history between AS Roma and Slovan Bratislava in the available data, so this fixture on October 20 appears to be a first meeting. Without past encounters to look back on, the match carries no inherited rivalry or psychological edge for either side.
Both clubs do arrive with fresh memories from their previous European outings. Roma's 3-4 home defeat to Real Madrid on October 14 was a high-scoring contest, while Slovan's 0-3 home loss to VfB Stuttgart on the same date was a setback in their league-stage opener at home. Each match gives the clubs something to respond to in Matchday 3.
Venue Factor
The match is played at the Stadio Olimpico, Roma's home ground. Roma's most recent home matches in the data were a 2-2 draw with Inter on September 19 and the 3-4 loss to Real Madrid on October 14. Both produced goals, with Roma scoring five and conceding six across the two. That suggests home matches have been open affairs.
Slovan Bratislava's travelling form is encouraging in domestic play. They won at Komárno on September 19 and at Nitra on September 16, and drew at Skalica on October 10. Those were away matches against domestic opponents, though, and a tr
Injury Concerns
AS Roma
Slovan Bratislava
